The Metropolitan Hotel
263 William Street,
Melbourne
Cuisine: Modern Australian, Italian
Taste Rating: 7.5/10 Value Rating: 7.5/10
The Metropolitan Hotel is near the legal precinct of Melbourne. This pub is an old landmark, having been around for over 150 years. It has cafe dining downstairs and more formal dining upstairs.
We had lunch here on a Friday. It was easy to get a table as we arrived early, at a few minutes after 12 pm. As expected for Friday lunch time, the place became steadily busier.
I ordered the Lamb Fillets marinated with lemon and oregano, with flat bread and Greek salad. One of my companions ordered Chicken coated with Sumac, on sweet potato mash, with green beans. Another ordered wood-fired pizza with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatos, bocconcini, pesto, fresh basil. The lamb fillets and chicken came out in reasonable time while the pizza took a long time; we were halfway through the mains before it appeared. We wondered why, as pizza must surely be easier to cook than the lamb and chicken.
I "traded" one of my lamb fillets for some of the chicken, and also had a slice of the pizza. The lamb fillets were about average. I don't like blackened grilled meat and there was too much of this on the lamb. The serve is not that large, with just a couple of fillets. The salad was alright. The flat bread was nothing special. The chicken was tender and juicy; again the serve was not that large.
I did like the pizza - the colours were appealing and it tasted good with the artichokes and mushrooms. The fresh basil leaves scattered over the pizza made it look like the pizza had been served under a tree on a nice summer day. We did wonder about the cheese which was meant to be bocconcini. Generally, bocconcini is 'fresh' mozzarella served as round balls, or bites, the size of cherry tomatoes. The cheese on the pizza was cooked, melted and stretchy. Nice blend of flavours anyhow.
Overall, I would go back again if someone organised a function here. The food is not bad, especially if you like pizza as there are some creative choices. You would come here more for the socialising. It is a good place for work lunches and a very popular for drinks after work.
We had lunch here on a Friday. It was easy to get a table as we arrived early, at a few minutes after 12 pm. As expected for Friday lunch time, the place became steadily busier.
I ordered the Lamb Fillets marinated with lemon and oregano, with flat bread and Greek salad. One of my companions ordered Chicken coated with Sumac, on sweet potato mash, with green beans. Another ordered wood-fired pizza with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatos, bocconcini, pesto, fresh basil. The lamb fillets and chicken came out in reasonable time while the pizza took a long time; we were halfway through the mains before it appeared. We wondered why, as pizza must surely be easier to cook than the lamb and chicken.
I "traded" one of my lamb fillets for some of the chicken, and also had a slice of the pizza. The lamb fillets were about average. I don't like blackened grilled meat and there was too much of this on the lamb. The serve is not that large, with just a couple of fillets. The salad was alright. The flat bread was nothing special. The chicken was tender and juicy; again the serve was not that large.
I did like the pizza - the colours were appealing and it tasted good with the artichokes and mushrooms. The fresh basil leaves scattered over the pizza made it look like the pizza had been served under a tree on a nice summer day. We did wonder about the cheese which was meant to be bocconcini. Generally, bocconcini is 'fresh' mozzarella served as round balls, or bites, the size of cherry tomatoes. The cheese on the pizza was cooked, melted and stretchy. Nice blend of flavours anyhow.
Overall, I would go back again if someone organised a function here. The food is not bad, especially if you like pizza as there are some creative choices. You would come here more for the socialising. It is a good place for work lunches and a very popular for drinks after work.
Lamb Fillets
Lamb Fillets - close up
Chicken Breast
Wood-fired Pizza
Menu - Mains
Menu - Pizzas
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